Pompey are one of seven Championship teams vying for the signature of 29 year old 5' 8" winger Josh Murphy, from Oxford United on a free transfer. Oxford are attempting to retain him by offering him a new contract. He contributed six goals and four assists during the season for Oxford. His twin brother Jacob plays for Newcastle Utd in the Premier League.
Colchester United have signed goalkeeper Matt Macey following his release by Portsmouth. The 29-year-old is the first signing of the summer by U's boss Danny Cowley and has agreed an two-year contract.
please log in to view this image CJ Afumuzor Pompey have agreed to sell two of their Academy starlets to Premier League clubs. Goalkeeper Xander Grieves, who last season represented the Blues’ under-18s at the age of 14, is to join Wolves. While highly-regarded midfielder 14 year old CJ Afumuzor, who spent eight years at Fratton Park, is being snapped up by Newcastle, despite interest from Aston Villa, Manchester Utd. and Brighton. The duo will both fetch transfer fees, although, under the terms of the Premier League-driven Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), Pompey are restricted to the amount they can receive. These involve set figures, but it is understood the Blues have also negotiated future incentives should the pair’s fledgling careers continue to flourish. Pompey’s Academy has struggled to provide players to the first-team in recent years, yet the sales of Grieves and Afumozor demonstrate there remains prodigious talent within the system. In the case of Afumuzor, he is a local youngster and a Mayfield School pupil, while Grieves hails from Dorking and was recruited from Dorking Wanderers in May 2022. Indeed, such has been Grieves’ rapid progress, he signed early scholarship forms for Pompey in October 2023 and in March made his debut for the Academy’s under-18s against Sutton United. At the time, lead professional development phase coach Sam Hudson told Pompey’s official website: ‘We had a really young team - I’m not sure if we’ve had a 14-year-old starting between the sticks at this level before and it’s credit to the goalkeeping department that he was ready for that.‘Xander deserved it because of his performances in training and he’s highly thought of by the club. ‘We felt the opportunity was right to give him his first taste with us and the only disappointing thing is that he didn’t keep a clean sheet because he couldn’t do much about the one we conceded.’ Grieves, who totalled three under-18s outings last season, made his England under-15 debut in May, having previously attended several training camps after being identified as a player of immense potential.
Premier league vultures strike again. Screw the EPPP, it's just a way the PL can hoover up the talent of the EFL on the cheap
Lapras, the following article from the Portsmouth News explains it all:- The rich get richer and the poor get poorer - the perfect summary of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). That’s the verdict of the FA scouting expert Neil Sillett after Premier League clubs Wolves and Newcastle swooped to recruit two highly-rated members of Pompey’s Academy. Both will fetch transfer fees, although in accordance with EPPP regulations, Category 1 Academies are requested to pay modest set amounts - very much to the detriment of the selling club. As a Category 3 Academy, Pompey have little power to fight off such approaches, particularly involving the lure of Premier League admirers. Former Blues physio Sillett nowadays serves as the FA’s lead tutor for the certificate in national talent identification and scouting in football, involving annually lecturing on EPPP rules and regulations to more than 1,000 scouts or talent reporters at Category 1 Premier League Academies. And he believes Pompey and fellow Category 3 clubs are unfortunately ‘wide open’ to having top young talent plucked. He told The News: ‘There’s a term for it - the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That’s the EPPP system for you in a nutshell. ‘You can’t protect what you’ve got because of the compensation rules. Clubs have to pay a minimum price, but if they want them that badly you must agree to a figure, otherwise it goes to compensation. ‘The sum depends on the amount of years the kid has been there as a registered Academy player. It only works out around £80-90,000, although might be more depending on what has been offered and how much they can say they’ve put into that player. ‘A club can say no, but there are two-year bands from age groups 12-14 and 14-16 - and then you are wide open and up liable for compensation. Almost like a Bosman. ‘You are reliant on loyalty from the families and the players, but players’ heads will also get turned from that interest, so it is absolutely pointless trying to fight that. ‘Most Category 3 Academies aren’t protected, while a Category 1 can’t buy from another Category 1 unless it’s a transfer, so they are hunting in the ocean. The big fish come looking for your little categories and will go and snap them up. ‘That’s why you need to up your category status because the higher your category, the more protected you are, which is ridiculous because it’s not a self-fulfilling prophecy. Category 2 is a little more protected, but not an awful lot.
I wish I could angry react to that post, like you can in Facebook, because it's an absolute joke and just one of the many reasons I hate football. Not the sport itself but the way it's so elitist and everything is rigged to favour the 'elite' as much as possible. As shown by the b team trophy, Portsmouth and 90% of other clubs exist just to benefit the 'elite' in the eyes of the the powers that be. Whether that's providing training minutes for their kids or providing a source of good players (youth or otherwise), and maybe getting the odd win every now so we can keep things interesting and allow the media to harp on about the premier league being the best league in the world. Nevermind one club has won it the last four years in a row and 80% of the league has no chance of winning it, though the PL is hardly unique in this regard (and at least it's not as bad as the spl). It's why the NFL is such a breath of fresh air in comparison in my opinion. You should give it a try! Though I imagine raising the category of the academy is probably one of the longer term goals.
Pompey announce their first signing !! please log in to view this image Pompey have completed their first summer signing with the capture of defender Jordan Williams. The 24-year-old right-back has signed a three-year deal after leaving Barnsley at the end of last season. He had skippered his former side to the League One play-offs, where they were narrowly beaten over two legs by Bolton. Blues boss John Mousinho said: “Jordan has plenty of experience already, despite his relatively young age, with a lot of games under his belt. “A lot of those have been in the Championship and he’s captained Barnsley as well, so has those important leadership qualities. Williams is a former England youth international who progressed through the ranks at Huddersfield before joining Barnsley in the summer of 2018. He was part of the side that secured League One promotion that season before playing regularly in the Championship. Williams made a total of 201 appearances for Barnsley – scoring nine goals – and started both of their meetings with Pompey last term.
Usual friendlies with local non-league sides, and I believe away to MK Dons. Doubt any home games, as Fratton Park pitch being relaid.
I don't count the non league ones as they're likely to be mostly academy players, but surely we're playing more than one friendly against league (or equivalent if foreign) opposition?
Pompey will prepare for the 2024/25 Championship campaign with a pre-season training camp in Croatia. John Mousinho’s squad will be heading to the Istrian region of the country – which lies on the Adriatic coast – from July 6-12. They will be located near the city of Pula and any fans staying nearby can contact the club if they would like to attend an open training session. Interested supporters should email [email protected] with their full name and details of where they are staying. Pompey will not be playing a friendly match during their time in Croatia, but have five games once they return to England – including a trip to an EFL side that has yet to be announced. Fans should note that there are no friendlies at Fratton Park this summer due to the ongoing work to build a new broadcast gantry above the South Stand. Date............... Opponents ..................Kick-Off Tuesday, July 16 Gosport (A) ....................7pm Friday, July 19 Havant & Waterlooville (A) 7pm Saturday, July 20 Bognor (A) .....................1pm Tuesday, July 30 MK Dons (A) ..................7.30pm Saturday, August 3 ..TBC .........................TBC
I wanna go to Croatia. Shame we're not playing a Croatian team, that would be fun. Hope this aforementioned EFL side is interesting and not something dull like... Peterborough away
It appears that Pompey are about to announce the free transfer signing of Josh Murphy (according to Andrew Moon of BBC Sport) !!
please log in to view this image Pompey have signed midfielder Reuben Swann from AFC Sudbury for an undisclosed fee. The 18-year-old has agreed a two-year deal at Fratton Park, with a club option for an additional 12 months. Swann said: “It’s a proud moment for me – and my family – to sign my first professional contract with Pompey. “I’m happy to get things over the line and now I’m excited to start training with the rest of the team soon. “The manager told me that this club is moving in the right direction and I’m just so thankful to be here. “I’m grateful to the coaches and my team-mates at Sudbury and now this is a big step up for me – but I’m confident I can meet the demands. “This is everything I’ve worked hard for since I was kid and so I’m fully focused on what’s to come for me. “I like to attack, but can play anywhere in midfield. I want to keep developing my game and improving as a footballer, which I believe I can do here.” Blues boss John Mousinho said: “Reuben’s an exciting young prospect, who came down to train with us before Christmas last season. “It allowed us to have a close look at him and he really impressed us, while he’s also done well for Sudbury. “He’s an all-action central midfielder with a maturity beyond his years, so we’re really looking forward to seeing how he does in pre-season.” Swann joined Sudbury from Colchester in 2022 and after impressing in the academy, made his senior debut the following year.
please log in to view this image Pompey skipper Marlon Pack has signed a new two-year contract. It comes after a dream campaign for the boyhood Blues fan, who skippered the club to the League One title. He made 39 appearances last term, scoring in valuable victories against Leyton Orient, Shrewsbury and Reading. Blues boss John Mousinho said: “It was so important for us to get this deal done, with everything that Marlon’s done at this football club since returning a couple of years ago. “He lifted the League One trophy as captain and produced some strong performances in what was such a successful season for us.
Wow, another new signing, our 4th of the season. That's three signings this week now! Well done Rich Hughes!! please log in to view this image Pompey have completed the signing of 6' 3" tall goalkeeper Jordan Archer on a two-year deal. The 31-year-old – who has been capped once by Scotland – left Queens Park Rangers at the end of last season. Blues boss John Mousinho said: “Jordan brings a wealth of experience and knows what it takes to compete at this level of the game. “I had the pleasure of playing alongside him a few years ago when he came to Oxford for a brief spell. “So I know that he’s a brilliant character and a great professional to have around the dressing room, as well as being an excellent goalkeeper. “It bolsters the options we already have in that department and we’re happy to have got another signing in for the start of pre-season.” Archer progressed through the ranks at Tottenham before signing for Millwall in 2015, making 166 appearances for the Londoners. It was during his time at The Den that he was capped by Scotland at senior level, featuring in a friendly defeat to Peru. Archer also had stints with Oxford, Fulham, Motherwell and Middlesbrough prior to joining QPR in July 2021.
